Rotary trap magazine with two-stage target feed



Feb. 21, 1967 G. H. DARRELL 3,304,928

ROTARY TRAP MAGAZINE WITH Two-sTAGE TARGET FEED Filed Maron 31, 1964 2 sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 2l', 1967 G. H. DARRELL ROTARY TRAP MAGAZINE WITH TWO-STAGE TARGET FEED Filed March 3l, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 67:6;(71: ff: 25m/ald /CMVMW United States Patent 3,304,928 ROTARY TRAP MAGAZINE WITH TWO-STAGE TARGET FEED George H. Darrell, 25 Chestnut St., Dedham, Mass. 02026 Filed Mar. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 356,111 Claims. (Cl. 124-47) This invention relates to machines or traps for throwing clay pigeon targets for trap or skeet shooting. In one aspect it comprises improvements upon the target throwing trap of my United States Patent 3,108,582 October 29, 1963. In another aspect it comprises new and improved magazine mechanism of the turret type particularly adapted for use in association with the machine `of my said patent but having many features of more general application.

In general it is the object of the present invention to provide a trap with an ample supply of targets presented in stack formation by a mechanically operated turret and to insure the transfer of successive targets from the turret to the throwing member of the trap by easy stages and with such gentle handling as to obviate damage to the fragile structure of the targets.

To this end the present invention is characterized, in its application to a trap having a throwing member or arm rotatable about an upright axis, by the provision of a magazine turret rotatable about an independent axis and having means for presenting one stack after another above the throwing arm and in line with its axis, and means for supporting a reserve or auxiliary stack of relatively few targets in position between the turret and throwing arm and in line with the axis of the latter. The transfer of targets is thus effected in two stages, i.e. first by a step from one of the stacks carried by the turret to the auxiliary stack, and then by a second step from the auxiliary stack to the throwing arm. It will be apparent that by this step-by-step procedure the danger and shock of any abrupt drop of a target is avoided.

Other features of the invention, as will be hereinafter pointed out, consist in novel mechanism for indexing, rotating and locking the turret, for holding and releasing the stacked targets thereon, and for transferring the individual targets so that they will be automatically deposited one after another in quick succession upon the throwing arm. In practice this mechanism is so eliicient and rapid in its Operation that three targets may be placed in orbit at the same time, thus setting up a severe and unusual test for a skillful gunner.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation, complete machine and magazine,

FIGS. 2 and 3 are fragmentary views of portions of the machine shown in FIG. l, and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the magazine.

The illustrated machine is adapted for throwing clay pigeon targets of conventional shape of which a divided stack of twenty-one targets is shown in FIG. 1 with a single target shown as delivered to thel throwing arm. A portion of the machine frame 11 is shown in this figure.

The throwing arm of the trap comprises a rectangular box-shaped arm 12 constructed of upper and lower interiitting sections and secured to a hub 13 fast to the upper end of a tubular shaft 14. The shaft 14 is journaled in bearings 15 secured in the main frame 11 and is provided at its lower end with a driven pulley 16 by which the shaft 14 and the throwing arm are rotated at high speed about the vertical axis of the shaft.

partly in section, of the The upper surface of the throwing arm 12 is provided with a circular aperture disposed concentrically with respect to the shaft 14 and this is initially occupied by a transfer disk 17 resting upon underlying stops 17 that are secured to the underside of the arm and maintain the surface of the disk exactly in iiush relation with the upper surface of the throwing arm 12. The disk 17 is provided with a downwardly olfset concentric chamber 19 in which is contained a smaller flat disk 20 fast to the upper end of the shaft 22 and mounted for movement within the chamber 19. Beneath the disk 20 is a spring 21 and this spring serves to hold the disk 17 yieldingly downwardly in position upon its stops and to permit lost motion of the shaft 22 in respect to the transfer disk 17 when the shaft is moved upwardly.

The shaft 22 is arranged concentrically within the tubular shaft 14. It is provided near its lower end with a flanged spool 23 which is engaged between bosses on the end of an arm 24 of a bell crank lever pivotally mounted at 24 in a bracket depending from the frame 11. The upwardly projecting end of the lever 24 is operated from a cam (not shown) carried by a cam shaft 29 journaled in the machine frame directly behind a vertical shaft 39 which will be described hereinafter.

It is desirable to hold the transfer disk 17 against rotation during the operation of transfering a target from the stack to the throwing arm and to leave the disk with its target free to rotate with the arm as soon as a target transferring operation has been completed. To this end the lever yarm 24 is provided with a spring 25 so shaped as to clear the upper ange of the spool 23 when the transfer disk 17 is in its lowermost postion and while the disk 17 tends to rotate during its period of resting on the underlying stops 17 of the throwing arm as shown in FIG. l. However when the lever arm 24 is rocked to elevate-the shaft 22 and the transfer disk the spring 25 will engage the upper flange of the spool 23 and impart suiiicient retarding frictional contact to the spool to prevent rotation of the shaft and transfer disk.

The transfer disk is thus frictionally held at rest against rotation during its complete transfer movement up and down. In its upward movement the transfer disk is brought into proximity with the lowermost target 10 of the reserve stack and that target is designed to be centered upon the disk 17 by fitting into a concentric groove 18 formed in its upper surface. The target is thus held in a position concentric with the axis of the rotation of the shaft 22 while it is moved downwardly and deposited upon the upper surface of the throwing arm 12. The

target then remains in alignment with the axis of the throwing arm until it is pushed out of its concentric position by mechanism corresponding substantially to thatA described in my prior patent above identified. This mechanism as herein shown comprises a pair of squeeze arms 60 initially disposed in divergent relation adjacent to the periphery of a target as delivered and pivotally mounted on the throwing arm. Each squeeze arm is secured to the upper end of a short vertical shaft provided atv its lower end with a beveled gear 61. This meshes with a beveled gear 62 on the outer end of a short horizontal shaft mounted beneath the upper wall section of the arm 12 and carrying at its inner end a crank disk and pin 63.

The crank pins l63 from each of these disks is engaged between collars 64 on the shaft 22. Accordingly when the shaft is drawn downwardly and whi-le the transfer disk 17 is held in its flush position the crank pins 63 are oscillated and the squeeze arms 60 operate to advance the justdelivered target from its concentric position to an offcenter position as shown in FIG. l. In this displaced olf-center position the target becomes subject for the rst time to centrifugal force by reason of its eccentric position on the rotating throwing arm 12.

The machine includes in its framework a stationary horizontal platform 30 supported by a post 31 from the lower elements of the frame 11. The platform is provided with a circular aperture in line with and between a target stack and the transfer disk 17. Above t-he platform is mounted a rotary magazine turret 32 to the lower surface of which is attached a series of U-sha'ped memibers 33 forming slots for the driven disk of a Geneva stop motion. Below these members Vis mounted an index disk 34 having eight notches and normally held at rest by a dog 35 which is formed on the inner end of a lever 36 pivotally mounted on the platform 30 and normally urged into locking position `by a torsion spring 36. The magazine turret 32 and the index disk 34 `are mounted to rotate upon a short stationary shaft 41 projecting upwardly from the platform 30 and offset with respect to the axis of the throwing arm.

The magazine turret 32 is rotated step yby step in clockwise direction by a driving pin 37 which projects upwardly from a at cam 53 on a vertically driven shaft 39 journaled in the frame and driven by a Ibelt from a pulley 26 connected to the hub of the main driven pulley 16. The cam 53 is free to rotate on the shaft 39 except when it is clutched by a pawl S2 to a toothed disk 51 fast on the upper end of the shaft. The pawl 52 is pivotally mounted on the cam 53 and normally held out of engagement with the toothed disk 51 by a pin 54 arranged to be retracted by a solenoid 49. The solenoid is in circuit with a micro switch 48 mounted at the outer end of the platform 30. The arm of the switch 48 is arranged to engage targets in the main stack so long as any remain therein. When the stack is exhausted the switch arm moves inwardly as suggested in FIG. l, the solenoid 49 is actuated, the pin 50 retracted and the pawl 52 released from the notched disk 36. The pin 50 thereupon engages the rotating toothed disk 51 and a single revolution is impar-ted to the cam S3. The Geneva motion is thus operated to advance the turret 45 bringing a fresh stack into line with the axis of the throwing arm.

The turret 32 as herein shown is provided with eight nests of upright posts 42 each holding a full stack of fourteen targets and each of these stacks is prevented from dropping through the turret by a gripper roll 43 carried 'by an arm 44 pivotally mounted on the turret and urged into gripping engagement by a torsion spring.

Each gripper arm 44 is associated with a pivoted cam arm 45 that normally projects beyond the rim of the turret in position to be engaged by a fixed stop 46 when a fresh stack arrives in position above the axis of the throwing arm. When this occurs the stack is released and drops into contact with the uppermost target of the auxiliary stack held in the platform 30. As herein shown the auxiliary or reserve stack comprises seven targets which are maintained throughout the operation of the machine and from which the `bottom target is transferred by the disk 17 to `the throwing arm. The auxiliary stack is held in the platform 30 between fixed gripper rolls 55 and a movable gripper roll 56 carried by a slide 57 and operated 'by a cam, not shown, on the upper end of the cam shaft 29.

As each successive stack comes into line with the axis of the throwing arm -its calm arm 45 is rocked in a counterclockwise direction -thereby retracting the arm 44 and its gripping roll 43. This releases the main stack in the turret so that it may drop upon the reserve stack beneath it and form one continuous stack of twenty-one targets.

The transfer disk is now timed to rise and contact the lowermost target in the combined stack and a-t the same time the gripper roll 56 is retracted. The transfer disk then descends followed by the whole stack but as soon as the lowermost target has cleared the platform 30 the gripping roll 56 is again advanced as the stack is arrested in the position shown in FIG. 1. The downward movement of the transfer disk 17 terminates with a single target separated from the bottom of the stack and deposited upon the throwing arm.

In FIG. l a gap which would not occur in practice is shown between the reserve st-ack and the turret main stack 0f the target. The operating arm of the switch 48 is shown in the position it occupies only when the main stack has become completely exhausted for it is only then that the solenoid 49 will be energized to retract the pin 50 and initiate the cycle of the turret to bring a fresh stack into transferring position upon the throwing arm.

It will `be understood that when the pin 50 is retracted the cam 53 makes a single revolution as the switch 48 is opened by contact of its arm with the targets passing downwardly from the turret. The pin 50 is immediately returned to its operating position where it engages the tail of the pawl 52 and releases the pawl from the rotating index disk 51, at the same time contacting a 'block or stop 54 fixed to the under side of the cam thus preventing over running of the cam.

The magazine may 4be loaded apart from the trap, or while in place thereon, by manually supporting the bottom of the reserve stack in the aperture of the platform 30 and meanwhile temporarily retracting by hand one of the gripping rolls 43. The loaded magazine turret may then be placed on the stationary shaft 41.

As herein shown the machine frame includes a transverse housing in which is journaled a shaft carrying wheels 66 by which the machine as a whole may be trundled from one place to another.

The trap may be set in operation by rst starting the motor 28 which drives the cam shaft 29 through a clutch and belt connections, not shown. The cam shaft 29 drives the shaft 39 Iwith the toothed disk 51 by means of V-belt connections. The trap will now operate without interruption until the current stack of targets is used up. When this happens the switch 48 operates to withdraw the pin 50 and the turret is advanced to deliver a new stack of targets as already explained.

When the stack is drawn down to seven targets, or whatever the number of the reserve stack, the switch 48 is closed to effect retraction of the solenoid pin 50. Thereupon the rotating toothed disk 51 picks up the cam 37, the turret is revolved 45, a fresh stack is advanced to the transfer point and the gripper roll 43 is retracted to release the stack from the turret. The cam 53 in its rotation contacts the lever 36 and withdraws the dog 35 thus unlocking the turret.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A target trap having a frame, a rotary throwing arm mounted thereon and having an aperture concentric with its axis of rotation, a stationary holder located above the throwing arm and having means for holding an auxiliary stack of relatively few targets and releasing them one by one to the throwing arm, and a magazine turret rotatable above said stationary holder and provided with means for presenting a stack of targets in line with and above the auxiliary stack of said holder, and power operated means for transferring targets intermittently from the stack in the turret to the auxiliary stack in said holder, a transfer disk rotatable in an aperture of the throwing arm, means for moving the disk from said throwing arm to the auxiliary stack and brake means connected to said disk for retarding its rotation while transferring a target.

2. In a target trap having a throwing member rotatable about a vertical axis and having an aperture concentric with its said axis, stationary means for supporting a stack of targets above the throwing member and in line with its axis of revolution; transfer mechanism which includes a disk means mounting said disk for vertical movement between the stack and the `aperture of the throwing member and for normal rotation with said throwing member,

together with brake means connected to the disk for retarding rotation of the disk in its upward movement toward the stack and releasing the disk for rotation at the conclusion of its movement toward the throwing member.

3. A target trap having a rotary throwing arm and a turret rotatable about an axis offset with respect to the axis of the throwing arm and carrying a series of target stacks, target-gripping means carried by the turret and arranged to be automatically released when a target stack is presented by the turret in line with the axis of the throwing arm, means for supporting an auxiliary stack in line with and between a turret stack and the throwing arm, means for delivering targets from the turret stack to the auxiliary stack, and separate gripping means for the lowermost target of the auxiliary stack arranged to be intermittently released for the transfer of successive targets from the auxiliary stack to the throwing arm.

4. A target trap as described in claim 3, further characterized in that said target gripping means includes a releasing means which projects beyond the periphery of the turret and is arranged in position to be moved to stack-releasing positionby contact with a fixed stop encountered in the revolution of the turret.

5. In a target trap having a throwing member rotatable about an upright ,axis and having an aperture concentric with its said axis, a magazine for holding a stack of targets above the throwing member and in line with its axis of rotation, and transfer mechanism including a disk, means mounting said disk for vertical movement between the stack and the aperture of the throwing member and having a concentric groove in its upper surface for receiving a target from the stack and operating to deliver targets for normal rotation with the throwing member, together with spring means operatively connected to the disk for preventing rotation of the disk in approaching the stack and releasing the disk for rotation when it is returned to the throwing member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,293,075 2/ 1919 Frisch.

2,171,623 9/1939 Connell 124-47 X 2,310,746 2/ 1943 Parker et al.

2,603,203 7/ 1952 Herold 124-47 X 2,670,727 3/ 1954 Hessenbruch 124-47 X 2,711,726 6/ 1955 Darrell 124-47 X 3,119,383 1/1964 Foster 124-47 X References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,925,812 2/ 1960 Foster.

3,108,582 10/1963 Darrell.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

3. A TARGET TRAP HAVING A ROTARY THROWING ARM AND A TURRET ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS OFFSET WITH RESPECT TO THE AXIS OF THE THROWING ARM AND CARRYING A SERIES OF TARGET STACKS, TARGET-GRIPPING MEANS CARRIED BY THE TURRET AND ARRANGED TO BE AUTOMATICALLY RELEASED WHEN A TARGET STACK IS PRESENTED BY THE TURRET IN LINE WITH THE AXIS OF THE THROWING ARM, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AN AUXILIARY STACK IN LINE WITH AND BETWEEN A TURRET STACK AND THE THROWING ARM, MEANS FOR DELIVERING TARGETS FROM THE TURRET STACK TO THE AUXILIARY STACK, AND SEPARATE GRIPPING MEANS FOR THE LOWERMOST TARGET OF THE AUXILIARY STACK ARRANGED TO BE INTERMITTENTLY RELEASED FOR THE TRANSFER OF SUCCESSIVE TARGETS FROM THE AUXILIARY STACK TO THE THROWING ARM. 